It's no Contest
by Ranowa Hikura
Summary: Finally posted my CO sequel! CO and EK. Casey's and Olivia's fight takes a backseat when a member of the squad is seriously injured.
1. Chapter 1

First and foremost, dedicated to anon! Not the many nice ones. The one that's AO and constantly bashes anybody that's not. Well, anon, here's a Casey/Olivia story, dedicated to you! I hope you enjoy!

Part two of my weird trilogy series. Ironically, the first part of this chapter- the first part of my trilogy written- just sat on my computer for over a year, never being looked at until I finally got inspired to continue writing. Then, after some more changes, it finally evolved into part two. So, 'arguement fluff'- yes, misspelled, and what I saved the document as because all it was for the longest time was just the argument between Case and Liv, now named 'It's no contest'- yes, I finally came up with a title better than that Hunger Games one…

One last thing: People who write the AP Chemistry exam can go off and fuck themselves. That is all.

**Chapter 1**

"Aww, you're so cute when you treat me like God! For the last time, I. Can. Not. Get. A. Warrant. Based. On. No. Evidence!" Casey shouted, slamming her hand down between each word for no effect.

"No evidence? What the hell do you think this is?" Olivia shouted back, pointing furiously at the powerpoint projection of their DNA evidence.

"I think it's some DNA! Does that mean it's Mr. Clark's DNA? No! And, more importantly, I can't say to a judge, 'I'm sorry, Your Honor, my detectives don't care enough to get me some _real_ evidence, so how about you just sign this warrant and do their dirty work for them, eh?' I could probably get fined contempt of court that!"

"Oh, well god knows you could pay the fine, we all know how little money you spend on clothes!"

"Hey! I already told you, the road's to my place were blocked because of the weather! I was already wearing the purple skirt and all I had at my office was that green jacket. What was I supposed to do?"

"Well I don't know, _Limer_," Olivia started to sneer, but was interrupted when Elliot jumped in between the two women before it came to blows.

"_Hey!_ Both of you, calm down! Benson, lay off Novak, she's right, this isn't enough evidence for a warrant. And Counselor, no need to throw a fit, we're just grasping at straws here! No need to start World War three over this!"

Olivia and Casey both glared at each other for a moment before Olivia snarled, "Well, if she wants to get a warrant, why doesn't she just do that little dance you did at the bar last night, we all know judges like prostitutes." With that last cruel remark, Olivia stormed out of the lab, smirking at Casey's frantic attempts to lunge at her.

Elliot held Casey back, wincing as her high heels dug into his feet. "Hey, Case, stop! Stop it!"

"Let me go, Stabler!"

Elliot grimaced, then whirled the ADA around and pinned her back against the wall, glaring into her green eyes. "Let me talk to her! Come on, Casey, we all know you can't afford your third strike."

_"What. Third. Strike?" _she screamed. "I haven't even got a first strike! Is today National Character Assassination of Casey Day?"

"All right, I'm sorry, bad time, I know," he promptly apologized, glancing over his shoulder nervously in case Olivia decided to come back with some other derisive comment. "Look, I'll go talk to her- and while I know how appealing the prospect of beating her with a bat sounds, I'm sure you know I could handle her easier with a gun, right?"

Casey glared at him, then practically snarled, "24 hours, Stabler. I am giving you 24 hours. Then I will raise up such a screaming, biting, clawing cat fight with Benson in which it's me, her, and my bat at war I'll send all you fancy NYPD cops running for cover." She gave him one last cold glare before turning on her heel and storming from the room, leaving the lab techs staring after her, open-mouthed.

Ryan whistled and murmured to Elliot, "Hey, do you sell tickets to these things? Because you could so make money doing that- seriously, put an ad up online- two hot women cat fighting, bat-wielding lawyer versus butch cop, see how many seats you sell-"

"Look, I'd like to live long enough to see the outcome of the fight. If you want to risk death by advertising this, you go right ahead, although my money's on Casey. You haven't seen what that girl can do when she's mad, but let me tell you, it's scary as hell. I think it even made Fin scream, although that may have been because he was turned on. "

"That's it, you tail Olivia, I'll tail Casey, and when the two of them meet up again, let's pray it doesn't wind down with an anticlimactic apology and instead ends up with a really cool fight scene. I'm not missing this, not even if my boss calls me in on double overtime, my girlfriend wants to have dinner, _and_ my sister shows up and tells me she's pregnant."

Sighing quietly and rolling his eyes, Elliot turned and walked off to find Olivia, still chuckling under his breath. This was one gonna be one hell of a long day.

Casey stormed up to her office and slammed the door, half-wishing it would fly off the hinges. She muttered incoherent curses and insults under her breath as she stomped to her desk and roughly shoved some of the files on the floor, then a law textbook, which had to fall right on her foot. "Son of a-" she hissed, hopping on one leg as she cradled her sore foot in her hands. She waited until the pain subsided to collapse into her chair and close her eyes, trying to relax.

The whole fight with Olivia had started last week. The two were secretly dating, with only Elliot knowing about their relationship- they had want to keep it quiet, unlike last time. Olivia had been walking her home after work and trying to get her to accept a protective detail...

_"Casey, I'm not kidding, Hector is dangerous! When he made that threat against you, it wasn't a harmless comment over tea, he meant it! He wants to kill you, Casey, and he-"_

_"Is in prison and can't hurt me. Seriously, Liv, you don't need to freak out over this. I've gotten death threats before. It's no big deal, really, I-"_

_"No big deal? Yes it is! Getting death threats is never 'no big deal'! And when have you gotten death threats before? Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"Because I knew you would freak out like this!" Casey shouted, stopping in her tracks and turning to face Olivia. "Look, Liv, I get how being protective is, you know, your thing, but stop it, all right?"_

_The detective glared at her, shaking her head unhappily. "All right, then, Casey, if you're so smart, tell me how that potassium cyanide got into your office because of Hector? Do I need to remind you that it almost killed you?"_

_Casey wanted to slap her right then and there. "I was taken by surprise! I'm being more careful now!"_

_"Just... please, Casey. I don't want to lose you."_

_"Olivia, you're not going to lose me. I can take care of myself."_

_Olivia snapped, "Oh, really? What about when Milan Zergin broke into your office and attacked you? What about then, Casey? You sure took care of yourself real good then!"_

_Casey's response froze on her lips as she stared at Olivia in shock. That was something they never discussed, mostly because of Casey's silent plea not to. She couldn't believe Olivia would throw it back in her face, least of all like this. All she could choke out was, "Go to hell, Olivia!" She turned and ran down the sidewalk, ignoring Olivia calling her back._

She groaned, running a hand through her hair and wishing she could take it back. Casey knew the reason she had reacted like that was because she was sill dealing with the nightmares, paranoia, shame, and fear from that night. The attack was only two months ago, she kept telling herself it was all right to still be scared... but it would have helped a hell of a lot to have someone else tell her that.

But after Olivia had stayed with her in the hospital and then taken her home and refused to leave until she was completely recovered... well, Casey just didn't want to ask for more help then she had already been given. She hadn't want to bring up the subject.

And just after their fierce fight over Alex, too. As the sole condition of taking her back, Casey had warned her that if Olivia hurt her again, that was it. No more second chances.

But then, she had just thrown it out there, the root of why she couldn't get over it- and Casey was sick of it. Being with Olivia had only ended up hurting her. Did she really want to set herself up for just more heartbreak by taking Olivia back?

Olivia groaned as she ran up the stairs to the roof, hoping Elliot would have the good sense not to follow. She knew Casey was completely justified in everything she had said back there and then some, but she was still angry... more at herself then the ADA. They had never talked after their fight, though Olivia had tried to find her later that night, to no avail. The moment those words had slipped out of her mouth, she had wanted to take it back, especially when she saw the hurt on Casey's face. But whenever she tried to talk with the ADA, she was cold and unfeeling, willing only to discuss what was necessary for work, and then she would find her escape.

She sighed, leaning against the railing and staring out into the city. It was cold and dark, just like Casey. Olivia wanted her back, but, honestly, after what she said, there was no hope for that at all.

"Olivia? You up here?" Groaning as she searched around for a place to hide and finding none, Olivia turned to face Elliot as he hurried out of the stairwell. "Oh, there you are," he said once he'd spotted her.

"Yeah, here I am." Olivia turned around to face the city again, hurriedly wiping a few tears off her cheek and hoping Elliot wouldn't notice. "Why exactly did you follow me up here?"

"I wanted to check on you, make sure you were all right... and Casey made me," he admitted with a small chuckle.

"Really?" she asked, forcing a bland, uncaring tone into her voice, trying to hold back her fluttering nerves. "What'd she say?"

"Just that I had 24 hours to get you straightened out before she came and did it yourself... Olivia, you two have been at each other this entire week. I think it's pretty obvious you two broke up... what happened?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity. "I said the worst thing I could have ever said to her."

When she didn't continue, he said, "Come on, Liv, I'm sure it wasn't that bad..."

"Wasn't that bad?" she exclaimed, whirling around to face him. "Wasn't that bad? Elliot, I told her- I told her… I was trying to get her accept a protective detail with all that Hector Mason mess last week and she told me she could protect herself, and I threw Milan Zergin's attack back in her face and basically told her it was her fault! I'm the one who left for coffee thirty seconds before he came up there, I'm the one who left her alone, who couldn't move to save her when I saw her bleeding on the floor, but I blamed _her?_ She already finds herself at fault for that night, even though she's blameless- me telling her that is just going to make her feel worse! She tries to hide it but I know she has nightmares, I know she's still scared- I can see it in her eyes whenever someone approaches her from behind! And that's fine, it's only human that she's not back to normal, but how I could tell her it was her fault?"

Elliot shook his head, grabbing her by the arm when she turned away from him and swinging her away from the edge, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Olivia, it's not her fault, but it's not yours, either. When you left, all you thought was going to happen was a flower delivery. You had no idea he was going to hurt her. And, second of all... talk to her, Olivia."

"I can't! Every time I try, she finds some excuse to get out of it! I want her back, but... after what I told her, I don't deserve her. She said no more second chances, and-"

"Hey, stop it! Yeah, what you said was wrong and probably did make her feel horrible, but you know it and you want to apologize! ...Look, let me talk to her. I'll try and convince her to hear what you have to say, all right?"

Olivia just shook her head and turned away from him. "Knock yourself out, Elliot, but it won't do any good. Casey already gave me a second chance, and I… I blew it."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for reviewing! And hello, Sean! Hello from the US! I hope you like being stuck in Germany! Hehe.

**Chapter 2**

Casey looked up in surprise at the sound of someone trying to open her locked office door, then knocking on it. For heaven's sake, couldn't she have ten minutes peace? "I swear, if this is you, Olivia," she muttered under her breath as she walked over and unlocked it, "...Elliot?"

He smiled slightly and gestured inside. "Can I come in?"

"Um... sure," she said and backed up, allowing him into the office. "What can I do for you?"

Elliot sat on the edge of her desk and patted the space beside him, waiting for her to sit next to him before saying, "Casey, after that little fight in the lab, I went to talk with Olivia. I think you should at least listen to her."

"No." No, Casey wasn't going to listen to her again. After everything that had happened, it seemed a little silly to break up over just _one_ fight, _one_ comment- but she didn't care. She had been perfectly clear when she had finally taken Olivia back after the Alex debacle. That if Olivia screwed up again, that was it, they were done. And yes, things had been quite nice these past few months- they hadn't fought once, and at least once a week, they'd managed to go out and get away from the troubles and horrors of work.

Perhaps, her warning had made Olivia cautious, and what she'd said that night had just been pent up feelings and held back comments over the past three months that had finally just broken free. She didn't know. The last three months had been wonderful, and yes... she already missed Olivia. But if Olivia could say something like that, then that was it. That was the last straw, and she poured all the cold finality and certainty into repeating her statement. "No, Elliot. I'm sick of it."

He frowned, watching her carefully. "Sick of what? Olivia?"

"Because..." she hesitated, trying to figure out how to conflicted feelings into words. She got to her feet and started pacing around the office."I know she already feels... or felt, I guess, guilty about that night, and I'm not saying that she should. But I warned her, Elliot. I warned her and I'm not going to lie; the past three months have been very nice- but what she said? No. That's it, I'm not giving her another second chance."

Casey sighed, leaning back against the wall and running her hands through her hair. "I don't know. Is this about Alex again? Is this because I'll just measure up to her in Olivia's eyes and she finally got sick of it? Or is something else entirely?" Without giving Elliot a chance to answer, she shook her head and continued. "Whatever it is, that's it, Elliot. I'm not going to let her dangle me out on a string and play and toy with me like this. I know, I know- it's just one fight, no big deal, but, what she said... that was worse than just a fight. I don't understand why she said it, but, I'm done. I suppose this is easier than last time, though." She laughed weakly, thinking back on how hard and difficult the break up had been after Alex had left for WP. "Only you know we're back together. So, this time, no loose ends, no... anything, really. The squad doesn't even have to know anything different. And it doesn't matter if I miss her or not. That's every break up. I'll get over it."

Elliot shook his head, not moving from his spot on her desk. "Casey... she misses you. She's sorry. You don't know how much she regrets it, but she does. She said there was no reason for her to expect you to take her back. And yeah, you did warn her. And no, if she kept making mistakes, then I wouldn't be giving you this advice- but, you said so yourself. One fight in three months. Talk to her, Casey. At least find out why she-"

"No, Elliot!" Casey pushed herself off the desk and started pacing around her office. "No, I can't. I'm not going to put myself out there again!"

"Even to salvage your friendship? Casey, you know Olivia. There has to be a reason behind what she said. You know that she doesn't really believe it. Just talk to her, Casey. You never know. You could gain perspective. All I'm saying is that she misses you and is sorry. And I think you should at least listen to her."

Casey smiled slightly. "Why is it you ended up playing matchmaker for us again?"

He shrugged. "Trust me, it's not something I'm putting on my resume. Well? You want me to drive you down to the precinct?"

She hesitated, then shrugged and pushed herself off the wall. "I suppose- but only because I know you'll give me hell if I say no. You owe me, Elliot."

He laughed. "Yes, you do. And so will Olivia, if this works out. I'm set for life." They both chuckled as he led her down the hallway before he said seriously, "Casey, if you don't want to do this-"

"I do want to. No regrets, I suppose."

* * *

Olivia walked back into the squad room with as much dignity as she could, hoping word hadn't spread yet of her and Casey's fight. No one said anything when they saw her, so people must not had found about it yet. Elliot wasn't here... he must still be at the DA's office.

Her stomach formed a hard knot at that, so she quickly sat down at her desk and tried to immerse herself in her work.

She had only been at it for about twenty minutes when Cragen burst out of his office, horror clear on his face. Fin, Munch, and Olivia all looked at him expectantly, his expression not doing anything but causing a slight panic. He was looking only at Olivia when he said, "There's been an accident."

"Um... who?" she asked when nothing else was forthcoming.

"Casey and Elliot. Come on."

* * *

"Ow," Elliot hissed under his breath as he forced his eyes open, looking around in confusion. He was in a... a car crash? God, what on earth had happened? Frowning, he tried to open his door, but it was jammed. "Damn it," he muttered when he felt his shoulder burn. It felt like it was dislocated, and his head was killing him. He turned to go through the passenger door then froze, staring in horror.

The top of the car was crushed in, so he couldn't reach the other side and it was pinning the passenger in- the passenger being Casey Novak.

She was still unconscious, the left side of her face covered with scarlet blood, her skin paler then he had ever seen it. A few heavy pieces of steel were twisted across her stomach, pinning her in place, and there seemed to be a lot of blood trailing from underneath the cold metal. "Oh god," he whispered, turning over and trying to reach. "Casey... Casey, come on... Casey, wake up!" he half ordered, half pleaded as he gently shook her shoulder.

When his efforts produced nothing, he grabbed his radio and gasped, "This is SVU, mobile one to central."

There was no reply, and he had ceased trying to shake Casey awake- he was worried that her head or spine was injured.

"SVU mobile one, this is central."

"This is Detective Elliot Stabler, I'm was in a car crash on 24th avenue north- I'm fine, and I don't know about the other driver, but ADA Casey Novak was in the car with me and she's pinned and not responsive."

"Does she have a pulse?" He tentatively reached over and felt Casey's neck, sighing with relief when he felt the hectic beat of her blood underneath his fingertips.

"Yeah- it's fast and irregular, but it's there."

"All right, please stay where you are. An ambulance is on it's way." Elliot tossed the radio to the floor and started trying to move the derbies out of the way to reach Casey, swearing when the pain in his shoulder refused to subside and only grew worse with time.

"Come on, Casey, wake up for me, please," he muttered under his breath, tapping the side of her face uncertainly. "Come on!" She moaned very, very softly, so softly he wasn't sure he even heard it at all, but other then that, there was no sign that she'd heard him.

"Case, please..." he trailed off as he managed to find her hand through the wreckage and squeezed it. "Olivia needs you... we all do... you can't leave us now," Elliot whispered, not just speaking for Olivia's sake but his own, and the rest of the squad's. Casey was like family to them- they loved her, and if they lost her- well he remembered what the squad had gone through after Alex's 'death'. And she hadn't really been dead...

He heard the sirens getting closer and started trying to free her again, murmuring comfortingly to her as he worked. He was frantic, but he tried not to let it show in his voice. "Come on, Casey, hang in there, I'm gonna get you out of there," he murmured in her ear as an ambulance raced around the corner and came to a stop by the car.

"Detective! Detective, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" he shouted back, glancing over his shoulder at the EMT. "Don't worry about me, you need to get to her!"

The EMTs swarmed around the car, two of them on Casey's side. "She hit her head, don't try and move her," one of them called, then stuck his hand inside the car to feel her pulse. "Damn," he muttered as he watched his watch for a couple seconds. "About 140, we've gotta get her out of there. Detective, can you free her?"

"No, damn it! I've been trying; it's too heavy! Can't you just rip the door off?"

"We can try," he stated flatly.

Elliot rolled his eyes and returned his attention to Casey. "Case, come on, stay with me. You're gonna be fine." She sighed, her eyes slowly fluttering open. Elliot gasped, staring at her in shock. "Casey!"

"El...Elliot," she mumbled, looking at him blearily.

"_Elliot! Casey!"_ Elliot twisted around at the scream to see Olivia pushing through the EMTS to the car."Elliot!" she shouted again, managing to stick her head inside the car. "Elliot, where's... oh my god. Oh my god, _Casey!_"

"Who's there?" Casey whispered deliriously, her eyes hazy as she stared at a spot of blood on the dashboard. "Liv?"

"Yeah, it's Olivia, Casey," Elliot told her softly, glancing nervously at the EMTs. "She's right here."

"…Tell her I love her." Her soft voice was resigned, filled with exhaustion and defeat as her eyes closed again.

Elliot's eyes widened in shock before he gasped sharply, "No! I won't tell her! You can tell her yourself, because you're gonna get out of this and you're gonna be just fine! Don't you dare give up on me, Casey!"

"I'll be fine? You promise?" she asked, her eyes half-closed.

"I promise, Casey."

"Liar," she accused with a soft chuckle before falling back into unconsciousness.

"Casey," Elliot said sharply, alarmed, tapping her cheek. "Casey, come on- no, don't do this to me- _Casey!"_

Olivia tried to force her way inside the car as she shouted, "Elliot, what's wrong? What's wrong with Casey? Tell me!"

"Ma'am, I need you to back away from the car, we're about to rip the door out and you can't-" Olivia started arguing with the EMT and Elliot tried to focus on Casey again, finding it almost impossible. His shoulder was screaming at him to stop, but he couldn't- he had to save Casey.

The EMTs finally managed to rip Casey's door off and get her out of the car, strapping her to a stretcher and rushing her towards the ambulance. Olivia froze, torn between her partner and her love. "Go on!" Elliot shouted, still trapped in the car. "Go on, I'm fine!"

She hesitated a moment longer, then took off after Casey at a run.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reviewing! These updates take so long because I update the chapters using fanfiction's document system, but it takes me a few days. By the time I finally get around to saving it, OHHHH NOOOO, you haven't been active in your account, so we logged you off and lost all your data. Stupid fanfiction.

**Chapter 3**

Elliot burst into the hospital waiting room, looking around frantically for his partner. He finally spotted her sitting in the corner, slumped over, her head in her hands. "Olivia!" he called, hurrying to her side.

She glanced up from where she was sitting, her face streaked with tears. She jumped up right immediately when she saw who it was, moving closer to him. "El! Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Just a dislocated shoulder and some bruises- I'm fine."

Olivia sighed heavily in relief, some of the tension leaving her body with that one breath. "Good. I'm glad." She sat back down, leaning her back against the wall. "The Captain's calling Kathy. She'll be down here in a bit, I think... They took her away from me the moment we got to the hospital. It's bad, Elliot. Really, really bad."

"She'll be okay, Liv. I'm sure she will be," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She shook it off. "No, don't. Don't do that. If you tell me that and I believe you and she... she doesn't... make it... please, don't." Elliot shuddered at the thought of Casey not surviving, then grabbed her by the shoulders and stared deep into her eyes.

"Hey. Don't think like that. Don't go around thinking that she won't make it." Olivia extricated herself from his grip, shaking her head and refusing to meet his eyes.

Deciding that it was futile to try and convince her of anything right now, he sat down next to her. "Where's everybody else?" he asked, looking around the mostly deserted waiting room. Perhaps, if he could distract her with more inane questions, then she wouldn't be so worried about Casey.

She shrugged, still averting her gaze. "I'm not sure. Like I said, Cragen is contacting your family. I'm not sure where Fin is; I think he's trying to get in contact with Casey's family. And Munch is-"

"Right here," a voice announced from the doorway. Munch walked forward, carrying two cups of coffee, one of which he handed to Olivia. "Thought you could use this. Any news?" Olivia shook her head and bit her lip, reverting her gaze to the nurse at the triage and glaring at her. She was the one who wouldn't let her be back there with Casey. "And you, Elliot? You're fine?" Munch asked.

"Yeah," he said again. "Just hurt my shoulder. I'll be okay."

Just then, Cragen and Fin returned, both seeming exhausted and haggard. "Elliot, your wife is on her way down to the hospital. She's worried sick... sorry, I didn't know what to tell her about your condition. I said you were fine, but-"

"It's fine. She worries; I'm used to it. You owe me, though."

Fin spoke up once Elliot was finished. "I just looked- there's no mention of any family in her personnel file. Elliot, you handled that aspect when she was assaulted in the Duvall case, do you know if- ?"

Elliot shrugged. "I asked, she said there was no one worth calling. And before you ask, I'm fine."

"Good. Olivia, has the doctor come out with any news yet?"

"Not yet," she whispered, letting her head fall into her hands and groaning softly.

Elliot, mindful that none of the other detectives knew that Olivia and Casey had started things up again, just patted her on her back softly. He couldn't comfort her better than that, but, then again, how could anyone ever be comforted in a situation like this, anyway?

Time passed in lurches and stalls, sometimes flashing by faster then Olivia could believe possible and sometimes so slow every second seemed to take a lifetime. Because every second that passed was another second she was apart from Casey, another second meant she could die and never know how much Olivia loved her and how sorry she was she had ever said those things to Casey.

Right now, Olivia honestly hated herself for what she said to her- this was even worse than she had said something that sounded like confessing she loved Alex. She had hurt Casey so much and never apologized, and now she could die and Olivia would never have the chance.

Elliot had been doubtful when Olivia told him that she and Casey were back together... she didn't blame him. If she was being honest with herself, she, too, was shocked that Casey had taken her back. She had been ridiculously lucky to even get her back, and then, she had just gone and blown it.

But now, Casey was hurt and Olivia didn't know if she would ever see her alive again or not. And, cliche as it was, she didn't care what Casey's reaction was anymore. She was going to tell Casey that she loved her. Perhaps it was too early in their relationship, but so? She wasn't going to risk losing Casey.

Did Casey love her back? Possibly. Neither one of them had discussed the 'I loves you's they had said to each other in the hospital three months ago. After what Olivia had said to her, Casey probably hated her. But she was at least going to take a chance.

Munch watched Olivia unhappily, shaking his head. He knew about her relationship with Casey. He and the ADA had always been close- after all, she was the only one who could go head to head with him and come out with her head held high. She had confided in him several weeks after she and Olivia had gotten back together. He had supported her all the way, but knew something was up between them- they had been at each others' throats all weeks. But the look on Olivia's face told him, quite clearly, that she loved Casey, and would do anything to get her back.

She just had to live first.

No one wanted to fall asleep- what if something happened? But the hours continued to pass, and the exhaustion from the days events continued to pull them towards sleep, especially Elliot. Now that the adrenaline from the car crash had long since worn off, he was falling asleep standing up- literally. By this time, Kathy had come to the hospital. Once she was assured that he was okay, she'd tried to convince him to come home, but he had refused. She had eventually fallen asleep on his good shoulder. Finally, Cragen announced that it had been four and a half hours and at least some of them had to go back to the squad room.

It was Fin who volunteered. None of them could ask Olivia to leave, and there was no way Elliot was going to leave Olivia like this. And he knew his partner was closer to Casey than he was. "I'll go," he said, getting slowly to his feet and stretching his sore muscles. "Call us if something changes."

Cragen said, "Munch, I'll call you if we get a case and need more than one detective... I hope Casey's okay."

A few hours after they had left, Elliot started to pace around the ER, trying to keep himself awake, when he glanced at his watch. A whole ten hours Casey had been back there. A whole ten hours where doctors were working to save her life, every second being one where she could die and Olivia could lose her... the wait was unbearable.

Unbearable, yes, but not endless. A doctor did come over to them and asked if they were there for Casey Novak. A doctor who knew if Casey was alive or dead and, if she was alive, how badly she was injured.

Olivia shot upright, approaching the doctor and struggling to force out her frantic question. Finally, she choked out, "That's us. How is she?"

"Alive. Maybe not alive and well, but alive. Ms. Novak sustained a rather severe concussion and several broken ribs, however, that is not her most serious problem. We had to get her into surgery to stop the internal bleeding and we gave her a transfusion, so there shouldn't be any further damage from that, but then we discovered some nerve damage in her right leg. She'll need some minor physical therapy before she'll be able to walk again, but, all things considered, she is very lucky."

Olivia's eyes closed, and she leaned back against the wall, finally relaxing as the end to her horrible imaginings of what was happening to Casey was provided to her. Elliot smiled as well and asked, more for her sake than his, "Where is she? Can we see her?"

He turned back and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no. She's in the ICU and will be for the next two days, at least, so only family can see her. Unless you are related to her, then I can't-"

"We're the only family she has. Please," Olivia begged him. "Please."

The doctor looked between the detectives uncertainly for a moment before nodding tersely and saying, "Fine. But one at a time, and only for an hour." He led them to Casey's room, telling them more about her condition but hiding the cold, hard truth when long medical phrases that none of them wanted to hear.

After Olivia had entered the hospital room, Munch pulled Elliot aside and asked, "El, it's pretty clear that something's wrong between those two. They've been fighting like all hell this past week. Is Casey going to react... well, I suppose my question is, should Olivia be there when she wakes up?"

Elliot shook his head, glancing into Casey's room, where Olivia was currently squeezing the ADA's hand tightly with her head lying on the bed, and she looked like she was crying. "Olivia loves her, Munch, and I talked to Casey right before the accident. She says the had a fight about what Zergin did to her and never talked about it, and she asked me to drive to her to the precinct- I think it was to finally talk to Olivia about it. And when she woke up when those EMTs were trying to get her out of the car? She told me to tell Olivia she loved her. Trust me, they just need to work it out."

Munch sighed in relief. "Good. Now Casey just so needs to wake up so they can."

_What do you think? By the way... Casey isn't the character I was talking about in the summary._


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reviewing!

**Chapter 4**

"Olivia. Olivia? Liv?"

The cool voice pulled her out of the dream, and Olivia's eyes snapped open to see Alex standing in the doorway, watching her. Shaking her head tiredly, she sat upright and ran a hand through her hair, glancing at Casey's still unconscious form before looking back at the blonde. "Alex, what are you doing here?"

"Elliot thought you needed someone to comfort you, and since you threw him out, he sent me."

Olivia chuckled humorously. She didn't even remember clearly what had happened. Elliot had been talking with her, and something he'd said had made her furious. Right now, she wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone besides Casey. "Yeah... yeah, I'm sorry for that. He was talking about me and Casey and I just snapped." Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Olivia sat up straighter and looked around in confusion. "How'd you even get in here, Alex?"

She shrugged. "I convinced the nurse. You know me. I can be very… persuasive."

"Intimidating's more like that."

Smiling, Alex sat down next to Olivia and leaned back in her chair. "Well? Elliot didn't tell me very much about the situation; care to explain it to me?"

"Casey's going to be okay. That's… that's not why I'm so upset. It's because we fought, last week, and broke up. But now this happens and I don't… I don't want to give her up now." Olivia closed her eyes briefly before looking up at Alex and smiling apologetically. "Alex, you don't have to be here for this. I'm sorry; Elliot shouldn't have called you. This can't be easy for you. If you don't want to stay and hear all this, then I'll understand-"

"Don't, Olivia. I may not care too much for Casey, but I can still be a friend to you."

Olivia forced a smile and shrugged. "Alex… I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear this, but... I love her. But I don't want to say it to say it to her; I'll scare her off. We've only been dating four months and it's not as if they've been filled with nothing but romantic dates- I slept with you," she admitted, her voice low, ashamed. "Casey doesn't think she can fully trust me. But after this happened… I just don't care. I want to tell her."

And once again, Alex had to fight back against her own emotions screaming at her to tell Olivia to forget about Casey and choose her and instead, be a good friend. "Well," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat, "Didn't she say after Zergin assaulted her that she loved you?"

Olivia just sighed, shaking her head. "Yes, but in her sleep. And does she mean 'love' like the way I love you, Elliot, or… the way I love her? Because if she didn't mean she was _in_ love with me, then…"

Alex closed her eyes so she didn't have to see Olivia's guilty, sad expression when she was spoke next. "Olivia, I don't call out Elliot's or John's name in my sleep. When I was in Wisconsin, I tried dating a few people, trying to forget about you- not just you, really. Everything I'd left behind. Anyway, I also... did some things I'm not completely proud of. Had a few one night stands. And you know what one of them said to me the next morning? He said, 'You know, you should really do something about that Olivia. You've been moaning about her all night." Alex looked back at Olivia, who seemed unable to look at her. The guilt and sadness in her eyes nearly made her stop and apologize, but she forced herself to keep going. "You've known her for over a year now. You won't scare her off because it's not too soon… besides, I know that I didn't regret it when I told you that I loved you." She finished in a soft mumble, her gaze focused firmly on the ground, reliving the awful humiliation and embarrassment to find that Olivia did not return her feelings. The pain, the shock…

But she wasn't lying. She didn't regret it. At least now, she knew nothing would ever happen- infinitely preferable to always wondering what might have happened.

"Alex… I'm really sorry-" Olivia started, but Alex shook her head as she got to her feet.

"Don't be sorry, Olivia. You don't have anything to be sorry about," Alex said as she brushed by Olivia, headed towards the door.

Olivia had just looked back at Casey again, thinking Alex was gone, when the blonde spoke up again. "Olivia, I'm not giving up. You feel about Casey the way I feel about you. And I know you're happy with Casey, and I'm not going to try to jeopardize that... but I'll always love you. And I'm still going to try. May the best woman win, I suppose."

"Alex... it's no contest. Casey's already won. I'm sorry."

Alex just sighed. "I know." She leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek, then left.

Olivia sighed sadly as she looked back at Casey. She felt terrible for Alex. This entire situation had to be hard for her. Hell, she even worked in the same building as Casey and now, had been put into the position of trying to fix their relationship. Shaking her head apologetically, Olivia got to her feet as well, reluctantly letting go of Casey's hand. "I'll be back soon," she promised the sleeping lawyer. "I… I love you."

She walked out into the waiting room to find Elliot waiting for her, sleeping in a chair. Shaking her head and smiling, Olivia walked over to him and called his name. Elliot didn't respond.

"Elliot," she tried again, shaking his shoulder lightly. "Elliot!" She shook his shoulder harder, but he wasn't waking up. "Elliot!" she gasped, getting down on her knees in front of him and and shaking him harder. "Wake up!"

He didn't move. He made no sign that he could hear or feel Olivia's attempts to wake him up. "Elliot!" she cried in desperation, but he still wouldn't move.

* * *

"I'm so sorry we didn't see this sooner."

A doctor starting a sentence off with an apology was never good. Most often, it meant somebody was dead.

Olivia wrapped her arms tighter around herself as the doctor continued. "I gave him a quick look, he seemed fine, so I let one of the new doctors handle him. His first case on his own. He's done so well on his on all the cases I supervised, I thought things would be fine… but he missed a mild concussion. Has he been sleeping much, since the accident?"

Olivia shrugged weakly. "I- I don't know. None of us do. He stayed at the hospital for me, in case I needed someone, but I was in Casey's room almost all day. But it's only been a day since the accident; what does it matter how much he's slept?"

The doctor sighed. "Because, that could've of helped us to diagnose sooner what was actually wrong with him… Detective Stabler has a brain bleed."

That's another thing you never want to hear a doctor say. Anything involving 'bleed' and 'brain' can never bode well.

"We've already got him in surgery and he'll live, but… before we started to operate, he had slipped into a coma."

That's number three on the list of bad words from doctors: coma.

The doctor kept tailing, giving her medical phrases that turned Elliot's recovery into something she'd need a science book to understand before he finally left her in peace, telling her that she couldn't see Elliot now but that he'd come find her with more information soon.

She couldn't think. Olivia just knew, through instinct in the past when Elliot had been injured- although never this badly- that she had to call the station and his wife.

Kathy first. She deserved to know, even though it would be a much more difficult call than the one to the squad.

She picked up on the second ring even though it was late at night, clearly up worried about her husband. "Elliot?" she demanded.

"No… it's me. Olivia."

Kathy sighed unhappily, her disappointment nearly palpable. "Oh. I guess Elliot told you to call me and tell me that he's not coming home tonight? That he's-"

"No, Kathy, that's not it. Elliot's… well, it's not something I should say over the phone. But you should probably get the kids and get down to the hospital, now. It's an emergency."


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for reviewing!

**Chapter 5**

Olivia had called Cragen, but it was so late at night that she had to leave a message- thankfully, leaving her with just the Stablers. She'd rather be alone right now, or with Casey, but the less people she was with, the better. Olivia didn't think she could handle being in a room with both the squad _and_ Elliot's family… too many people worried about him, worried that he was going to die or never wake up… if too many people thought it, then maybe she would start to believe it.

And, of course, when they finally let people in to see Elliot, it was his family who went in first. Kathy even asked her if she wanted to go in and see him now, but Olivia had declined. She was just 'Aunt Olivia' to them, they didn't need her there, intruding on their family grief when it was so raw and fresh.

It was twenty minutes later when Kathy stepped slowly out of the hospital room and stumbling towards Olivia, who was still sitting in the waiting room. "Olivia?" she asked, her eyes red, tear stains on her cheeks. "Um… Look, I know it's a bad time right now, but I just… I just can't take care of the baby right now. Do you think you could keep him for me? You know, only for a couple days?

Olivia smiled weakly, and almost said yes before she realized she couldn't. She shook her head. "I'm flattered, Kathy, but I can't. Casey was hurt in the same accident as Elliot and I don't think I'll be leaving the hospital much either. Once she gets released, I suppose I could, but-"

"No, no," Kathy said quickly, shaking her head tearfully. "No, by the sound of it, you're going to be taking care of Casey and you don't need to add Eli on top of that. I can take him to a friend's, I guess-"

"He can stay with me."

Both turned around to see Alex standing behind Kathy, her face pale and drawn, her hands hanging limp and loose at her sides. "That is, if you'd let me."

Kathy frowned slightly before starting, "Oh, I know you- you're that woman who was in the newspaper a couple months ago…"

"Yes. Alex. I used to work with your husband; we met a few times. I can take some time off work and look after Eli for you." Alex smiled at her slightly, her pale blue eyes drawn and haggard. She looked just as tired as the rest of them.

Normally, Kathy wouldn't trust her son to a woman she barely knew, but it seemed like Olivia trusted her- and it wasn't like she had any other options.

"Okay," Kathy said weakly, beckoning for Alex to follow. "Come on; let me give him to you. And Olivia, I know you haven't seen him yet. Come on. I know you want to."

Olivia smiled slightly as she got to her feet and followed Kathy and Alex to Elliot's room. Inside were the twins, Kathleen, and Maureen, who was holding Eli and rocking him back and forth, though her eyes were focused on her father.

And there, in the center of it all, was Elliot. Tethered to machines to keep him alive, trapped in a dream world, in something deeper than simple sleep or unconsciousness. Surrounded by his family, but… does he even know it? Does Elliot know that around him is all the people who care about him and love him?

Olivia goes into the hospital room, easily ignoring Alex's and Kathy's soft voices, focusing only on her partner. The soft rise and fall of his chest is the only sign that he's still alive- and if she had just been a grown-up and gone to apologize to Casey in the first place, neither of them would be in the hospital.

She isn't there for too long, ten minutes, perhaps, before she hears the hospital room door open and someone walk inside. Their gait seems strange, like it is aided by some sort of crutch, but Olivia can't drudge up enough energy to turn around and see. Everything that had happened had left her thoroughly exhausted, and the exertion of turning around just seemed too much.

But then, that voice… like a brilliant shot of pure energy had just entered her system, because hearing that low, husky voice ask her name uncertainly suddenly left her wide awake and in a state of nervous anxiety.

And the sight of her standing in the doorway, fiery red hair hanging loose and limp over her shoulders, eyes pale and uncertain, slender body leaning precariously on a pair of crutches was all enough to make Olivia's previous tired mind see the possibility of sleep as only a distant memory.

"Casey!" she exclaimed in surprise, her usually mellow voice wrought with emotion as she turned to face her. "You're awake."

She nodded, moving closer to her amid the Stabler family, who all were still focused on Elliot, indifferent to the reunion happening in their midst. It did not concern them; the center of their family was all that mattered, at the moment.

"Yeah," Casey murmured. "I had to sneak out of there to come in here and see you. The doctor told me to stay put, but, clearly, he doesn't know me too well."

And just like that, all of Olivia's lingering worries about Casey's condition evaporated as she walked towards the door, stepping gingerly around her. "Not like I do. Come on; let's go talk in private."

Casey followed her out into the waiting room, stoically resting as much of her weight as possible on her own two feet rather than the crutches. It wasn't that it hurt- more as if her right leg was numb. She did have limited mobility, but she had to watch herself carefully and every time she moved her right leg forward, Casey found herself fighting to walk without falling, rather by simple feel and instinct. As if her right entire right leg was asleep.

Olivia watched silently as Casey struggled forward before voicing her concern. "Case, go ahead and sit down for a moment. We can go back to your room in a second."

A slight frown tugged at her lips as she looked up at the watchful detective. "Clearly, you don't know me too well, either," she said, her cool voice lightened by a slight teasing edge.

Olivia breathed out a heavy sigh, shaking her dark hair out over her shoulders. "No, I do. I'd just rather talk with you for a second before you end up falling and leaving me to pick you up."

"Oh, you'd think I'd go down without a fight?" Casey asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically, this time with a smile. "Perhaps I was right before. Maybe you don't know me at all. "

Another low laugh was drawn from her throat as Olivia's cool, coarse hand wrapped around Casey's softer one, leading her over to a chair. "Whatever you want to believe, Novak."

They both smiled, but the moment of humor quickly passed as Casey looked back at Elliot's room. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked nervously. "I asked my doctor; he said he didn't know."

"I don't know." Olivia leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, struggling to remain in control as she tried not to let herself get emotional about this. Her crying wouldn't help anybody. "We thought he was fine, but he passed out a few hours ago… he's in a coma, Casey. And the doctors don't know when- or if- he'll come out of it."

"Oh my god." Casey looked away, shock barely registering on her face as her hand found Olivia's and squeezed tightly. "He'll… he'll be okay, Olivia. He-"

"You don't know that."

Casey grimaced, leaning her head into Olivia's shoulder and forcing herself to smile. "Yes, I do. It's _Elliot_ we're talking about, Liv. He is going to be fine."

Mostly in an effort to make her focus on something other than her comatose partner, Olivia pulled back from Casey's arms and looked her up and down worriedly. "How'd you even get out to come see me, anyway? I thought you were in the ICU."

"I was. The doctor told me to stay put, but I was worried about you and Elliot, so the moment he left, so did I. I don't even know why I'm in the ICU; I feel fine."

"Standard procedure, after surgery like that. Anyway, don't get too rebellious; you'll only be in the hospital for a couple of days, anyway." Olivia squeezed her hand tightly before helping her up and leading her towards her hospital room. "Listen, Casey… I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, it's just that-"

"Olivia, stop!" Casey chuckled, glancing up at her, amusement dancing in her light green eyes. "I understand. You knew I was going to be okay, and you had just found out your partner was in a coma. If there was ever anything for us to fight about, this is _not_ it."

* * *

When they had finally gotten Casey back to her hospital bed, the ADA looked around uncomfortably before groaning in aggravation. "It's so loud in hospitals. All the beeping from machines and announcements for doctors needed here and there- I'll never be able to sleep tonight."

Kicking her feet up on the bed and wincing slightly as her sore back protested, Olivia shook her head with a low chuckle. Leave it to Casey to find the least important thing in this horrible situation to complain about- but then, that had always been Casey's style. Focus on the least painful thing so the more painful ones won't seem as bad. "Casey… we have to talk."

The lawyer's full lips pulled into a frown as she looked away unhappily. "Yes… I know. And there's no time like the present, right?"

"Right." Silence reigned for an uncertain moment before Olivia took the initiative and began to speak. "I'm sorry for saying what I said last week. It was completely uncalled for and it wasn't even true."

"And I'm sorry for not ever letting you apologize. …Olivia… what are we doing here, exactly?"

Allowing dark hair to shield her gaze so she didn't have to look at Casey, Olivia swallowed back her nerves and tried to convince herself to say what she had to say, consequences be dammed. "Casey, ever since Alex came back, I've been…" _No, no, that's all wrong, don't start it out by mentioning Alex. _"I mean, ever since you were attacked-" _Oh, like that's any better? I'm sure she has great memories associated with that night, Olivia! _"Well, for the past couple months, I've been thinking about what you mean to me, and…" _Oh, god, Olivia, just say it!_

"Casey, I love you."


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for reviewing! Was I the only one disappointed by SVU's finale? All the articles online seem to think it was great.

**Chapter 6**

Casey's response was better than Olivia could of ever imagined.

A kiss that started off gentle, but quickly turned faster and rougher until they both pulled back, gasping for air, Casey's dark green eyes staring into Olivia's.

"I love you."

A smile broke out over Olivia's face as she kissed Casey again, wrapping an arm tightly around her slim form. "How long?" She finally asked once they pulled apart again. "How long have you…"

Casey shook her head weakly, unable to stop the happiest smile Olivia had ever seen from spreading across her face. "I don't know, but I first realized it when Alex pointed it out to me. She said she heard me saying that I loved you in my sleep. You?"

"That same night. When I found you and th- thought you were dead. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to ruin what we had, but even Alex was telling me I should! I was just worried that you wouldn't feel the same way. I mean, you don't think it's too soon? We haven't been seeing each other for too long."

"Yes, but we've known each other for over a year! We already knew so much about each other when we started dating, it's like our first date was our fifth date. Things were more serious from day one." Casey leaned back against her bed, still keeping a tight hold on Olivia's hand. That this moment was actually happening was just too amazing to believe. Casey had hovered on the verge of telling her for months, but… Alex. The whole ordeal with Alex had given her pause. After all, Olivia had cheated on her with Alex only two months before Casey had realized she was still hopelessly in love with her. It _was_ too soon, and besides, Casey wasn't sure if she could completely trust her again.

"You're right. But… are you happy you said it? Because I am."

Casey hesitated, but she only needed a moment of thought before she found her answer. "I am too."

_One week later_

"Is he improving?"

Olivia closed her eyes briefly, struggling to block out the images of her partner out cold, unmoving, trapped in nightmarish realm between reality and sleep. "Well, the doctors say so. But that doesn't mean he's going to be waking up anytime soon."

Casey continued struggling to walk, holding herself up by the two parallel bars with mats at the bottom. "What about Kathy and the kids?"

"Well, Eli's still with Alex. Kathy's taking a few days off. All in all, as good as can be expected." Olivia sighed, shaking her head unhappily. "The sooner Elliot wakes up, the better for all of us."

Casey nodded in steadfast agreement before looking down at her feet, focusing harder on trying to walk instead of the Stablers' predicament.

She'd been released from the hospital two days ago, but was already back for physical therapy. Her doctor had already begun teaching her how to walk again. It hurt and wasn't easy, not by a long shot, but the fact that she could use crutches instead of a wheelchair gave her hope that it wasn't impossible. Yes, she made agonizingly slow progress, but it was still progress.

Casey resisted the urge to put all her weight on her good left leg and instead purposely used her right leg. "I suppose that's good. I'll do- hey, wait a minute. Kathy asked Alex to watch Eli? Isn't that kind of… odd?"

Olivia shrugged, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. She knew Casey was still jealous- well, perhaps a better word was distrustful- of Alex, but… even to this point? "No, why?"

"Well, Kathy hasn't spoken to Alex in years, right? I would've thought she would of trusted Eli with you," the redhead said, gritting her teeth in pain as she took another step. When Olivia didn't answer, Casey stopped walking and looked up at her worriedly. "Olivia?"

Oh, Casey wasn't going to like this, not at all. "She did ask me first, Casey. I turned her down." Casey continued watching her, waiting for her to continue, and Olivia sighed, forcing herself to keep talking ."I told her that, because I'd probably be looking after you once you got released, I couldn't take care of a baby on top of everything else, and-"

"Looking after me?" Casey interrupted, standing up straighter and continuing to walk, with renewed vigor. "I'm fine, Olivia! I don't need you to take care of me!" She walked to the end of the mats again and was about to turn around, then stopped.

Olivia watched her uncertainly, and when she didn't move for a moment, jumped to her feet and hurried closer to her. Instant scenarios of Casey having pushed herself too hard flashed through her mind as she rested her hand on the ADA's wrist. "Casey?" she asked, her voice infused with concern. "What's wrong?"

"That. _That_ is what's wrong," Casey sighed, moving out of Olivia's reach to go sit on a chair. "Olivia… this is why we were fighting last week. You're always overprotective of me. Treating me, in some cases, like a child rather than your date."

"Sweetie, I know you're not a child-"

"So then don't treat me like it." Casey looked up at Olivia, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms. "Last week, our argument began because you were trying to get me to accept your protection from our latest perp. It's sweet that you care enough to worry like that, but it's excessive- especially in this line of work. All of you guys have gotten threatened by perps before, as have I- heck, I bet even Alex has-"

"And looked how that turned out! Last time someone threatened her, she was almost killed!"

Olivia's outburst effectively silenced Casey. She frowned, observing the detective for a moment before letting out a low sigh, a look of tired resignation flashing in her pale eyes. "Oh. So that's what this is all about."

"Case… of course not. Don't be jealous-"

"I'm not jealous. You couldn't protect her, and she was taken away- now you're worried that if you don't protect me, the same will happen to me. It has nothing to do with any possible feelings for her… Olivia, the same's not going to happen to me. If we took every threat seriously, we'd spend all our time investigating past threats instead of current cases. And besides, that's only half the battle- because that's in our professional life. I admit, we shouldn't underestimate the bastards we arrest and prosecute- but I'm more unhappy about how you look at me outside of work."

Averting her gaze, Casey rested her head on her hand and bit her lower lip. She wasn't completely comfortable discussing this, even with Olivia- she didn't have much experience with serious relationships. There was Charlie… and then there was Olivia. And who knew if what things had been like with Charlie was normal or not?

But the can of worms had already been opened. She couldn't back out now.

Clearing her throat, Casey looked back up at Olivia and continued talking. "Like now, for instance. I'm not a small child for you to have to look after- I don't want to be your responsibility or burden. I got home two days ago and yes, things haven't been entirely normal, but we could easily deal with Eli there. Besides, he could keep me occupied while you're at work and I'm stuck to the couch."

In spite of herself, a tiny smile tugged on Olivia's lips and she struggled not to give in, knowing Casey wouldn't appreciate it now. "Case, we talked about that. I'm not going back to work until-"

"And that's what I'm trying to tell you, Liv! I'd understand if you wanted to stay for a couple days, just to make sure I could handle everything alone- I wouldn't be thrilled, but hey, a few days alone with my girlfriend? I'll deal with it." They both chuckled, but the conversation quickly turned serious again.

"But you don't need to stay home with me for another month until I'll be back at work. One of the reasons I love you is how dedicated you are to your job, and the victims. I love spending time with you, of course, but I don't need you home taking care of me when you've got important work to do. And I understand that, because of your job and what happened to Alex, you're bound to a little more overprotective than the usual date. I get that, but when you go overboard, I'm going to speak up."

Olivia had to hold back another smile at that. When it was clear Casey was done, Olivia sat up straighter and thought for a second. Casey was right. She had been a little overprotective of her- some because of her job… but mostly because of Alex.

Once she'd started dating Casey… no, that wasn't right. Once she'd started getting to be friends with her, yes, that was when she'd started to worry about Casey. Not consciously, but when a perp had threatened her in court once, Olivia had found herself up half the night, sick with worry.

And not because she had feelings for Casey. Because of Alex. Their last ADA had been shot and had to pretend to be dead for safety. She couldn't let that happen to another one.

"You're right, Casey. I have been overprotective. And it's because of Alex- mostly. But also because I don't want anything to happen to you. So, I'll go back to work- and I'll try to worry less."

"Thanks," Casey said, getting slowly to her feet and moving towards Olivia. "That's all I'm asking for."

She resisted the urge to get up and help Casey, knowing that one of the things that brought this conversation on was because now- _especially_ now- Casey was struggling to appear independent, despite her injury. "And now that you're here- want to go visit Elliot?"

Smiling, Olivia got to her feet and wrapped an arm around Casey's slim shoulders, automatically reaching up to play with her silky red tresses. "That'd be perfect… I love you."

Leaning forward and brushing her nose against Olivia's before their lips met for a quick moment, Casey returned the expression in kind. "And I love you."

Their love was still sweet and innocent- in the beginning stage when everything was easy and carefree. They both knew that, in several month, the discussions they had been avoiding for now would come up. Like where they were going from here- the possibility of marriage, of children? But for now, with Elliot in a coma, they had more important things to focus on.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the wait, I kept trying to write a Casey/Olivia/Eli scene. However, it always ended up terrible, so I left it out. Final chapter- and yes, there is a part three in the works. On an unrelated note, happy birthday to me!

**Chapter 7**

Casey started awake, breathing hard, trying to force the horrid images out of her mind. But, as twisted nightmares always did, they remained steadfast and strong in her mind, refusing to waver.

Olivia. That was what she remembered. Her nightmare had been about Olivia… Olivia getting hurt.

She shuddered, pushing herself into a sitting position and leaning back against the couch. Ever since her assault two months ago, she'd been almost constantly plagued by one of two nightmares- the most common, of her being trapped back in her office, being beaten to death…

And the less common, starring Olivia in the exact same situation- except Casey hadn't returned in time to save her.

Her rattled nerves got even worse when someone knocked on the door, and she nearly jumped a mile.

Shaking her head and brushing her sweat-dampened hair out of her face, pulling it into a ponytail when it refused to stay put, Casey grabbed her crutches and limped towards the door. "I'm coming!" she called, reaching for the door and yanking it open. "Sorry, I was asleep- what the… Alex?"

The young woman nodded, adjusted the baby in her arms and nodding. "I was wondering if I could talk to you."

Casey's cold gaze narrowed in a glare and she opened her mouth to refuse, then hesitated. It was true, she hadn't talked to Alex since that night in the hospital, almost two months ago. Regardless of the fact that she had Alex to thank for getting her and Olivia back together, but she also blamed her for sleeping with Olivia. Yes, there had been two people involved in that act, and she knew it wasn't entirely Alex's fault… but she had forgiven Olivia.

She hadn't forgiven Alex.

"What do you want?"

Even Alex, the coldest woman Casey had ever met, shivered at her frigid reply and hugged Eli closer to herself. "I wanted to talk to you about Olivia."

Casey groaned, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "Look, Alex, if you're here to ask me to give you and Olivia a shot, then-"

"No! Casey, I'm not…" The blonde sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm not here to talk about Olivia and I. I just… look, can I come inside?"

She hesitated, looking Alex up and down for a second before giving up. She could hear Alex out, and if Alex was really here to try and convince her to break up with Olivia, she could throw her out. "Fine. Come on in."

Casey led Alex over to the couch, dropping her crutches and propping her right leg up on a chair. "What do you want?"

Brushing the dust off her skirt, Alex sat down across from Casey and rested the heavy baby on her lap. "I know you're going to be medical leave for a couple weeks, Casey, and with Olivia taking time off as well, SVU is short-staffed. The squad recently caught a rather politically sensitive case, and the DA wasn't comfortable letting your temp handle this one. I don't know if you knew, but I'm next in line for Bureau Chief of White Collar, and between you and me, the current one is on his way out. Point is, I'm an employee at the DA's office, and Arthur assigned me the case."

When it was clear Alex had finished talking, Casey leaned back and began twist her ponytail around her finger. "What's your point, Alex? I'm not going to throw a temper tantrum just because Arthur gives one of the squad's cases to an experienced ADA. The victims are far more important than my own feelings about you, I know that. If that's what you're here to tell me, then-"

"No, that's only half of it, although I'm glad that you're okay with me working on SVU cases- because I might be working on them for a lot longer."

"Alex, I'm not in the mood for word play. Just tell me what you came here to tell me."

Adjusting her grip on Eli, Alex smiled at her and shook her head vigorously, blowing her hair out of her eyes. "I'm here because, until the position for Bureau of White Collar opens up, the DA offered to give me a change from shuffling papers around- prosecuting SVU cases. With you, of course- he's not firing you. I told him that I'd have to ask you about it."

Casey's stiff form shivered with repressed anger as her cold hands clenched into fists. "Work with me?" she growled. "No! I may tolerate you, Alex, and that's because I know you're Olivia's friend and you make her happy. I'm not going to be the jealous, bitchy girlfriend who won't allow her girlfriend to see her friends. But I don't want to work with you. You slept with Olivia and you knew she and I were involved. That was low, Alex. I don't care that you had feelings for her. You didn't have to act on them- it's called self-control."

Alex sighed heavily and crossed her legs, avoiding Casey's gaze by looking down at the baby. "I know- and I'm sorry. But, you know, you never let me explain why I did it. And it wasn't just because I had feelings for Olivia. I'm not saying there's any excuses for my actions, but I didn't just sleep with her and ignore you completely."

"On the contrary, Alex, that's exactly what you did."

She grimaced and lowered her head. "I'm sorry. Just hear me out, okay?" Alex hesitated, and when Casey didn't interrupt, Alex took this as her invitation to continue. "Casey, when I called Olivia over to my hotel room, I honestly had no intentions of sleeping with her. I just wanted some comfort because I… I was worried I wasn't going to be able to come home. Things escalated, and suddenly, I thought that if Olivia and I slept together, I would feel better about having to leave. And, to her credit, Casey, Olivia wasn't happy about it. She took some convincing, and she made it clear that it wasn't because she loved me."

"That's not all, Alex." Casey's glare deepened, and she crossed her arms tighter and frowned. "If you had no intentions of breaking me and Olivia up, why did you send me a video of what happened? Why did you even record it in the first place?"

"I'm sorry, Casey!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes in shame. "My webcam was on when Olivia came over. It was recording- I didn't even know that it was. And when I woke up the next morning and Olivia was gone, I… I was desperate, Casey. I shouldn't of, but I tried to get revenge. And, Casey, I know it's a little late- but Olivia _did_ say she didn't want to keep secrets from you. I think if I hadn't told you, she would have."

Casey didn't say anything in reply, not for a whole minute. She didn't want to admit how much Alex and Olivia's affair had hurt her, but they were past that. They had just said, 'I love you,' for god's sakes. And if she and Olivia were going to get much farther in their relationship, she would have to start liking Olivia's friends more- and that included Alex.

"Okay. I can work with you- just promise it's not going to be for too long. A couple months, sure, but…"

"That's as long as it'll take," Alex assured her. "According to the DA, my new job will open up in a few months. Three at the most."

Casey held out her hand for Alex to shake. "Well, then I'll suppose I'll be working with you soon."

"I suppose you're right." Alex shook her hand, then Casey pushed herself upright and led her to the door.

* * *

Kathy walked into the hospital room, slowly unbuttoning her coat with shaking hands, then started in surprise. Olivia was sitting next to Elliot, holding his hand, her eyes half-closed, her head resting on her chest. "Olivia?" she asked softly, her voice hoarse. She pushed her limp hair out of her face and forced a smile. "What are you doing here?"

The detective jumped, blinking her eyes open and sitting upright. "Kathy! Oh, I'm sorry." She checked her watch and got quickly to her feet. "Sorry. Today's my day off and I thought I'd surprise Casey at the hospital for her physical therapy… I came a little early to visit Elliot."

Kathy took Olivia's seat and slid her hand underneath her husband's. "Oh," she mumbled without looking away from him. Her steely gaze softened as she focused on the slow rise and fall of Elliot's chest, comforting herself in the knowledge that at least he was alive. Maybe not awake, but alive. "How's Casey?"

"Doing better," she answered with a shrug. "Taking it one day at a time. How about the kids? I'm sure they're used to their father being in danger, but… never quite like this-"

"You don't get used to it," Kathy interrupted sharply, turning her back to Olivia. "You never get used to it. My husband's always out in the field. He always in danger, and every day I come into work I'm worried that one of my patients will be him. I wish I could tell him to quit, or at least transfer to a safer unit- but he loves his job too much. Maybe even more than he loves me; I don't know."

Her voice cracked, and she fell silent for a moment, leaning forward and resting her head on her hand before continuing. "But this? This car accident wasn't even related to work, and yet… it's still the worst he's ever been injured."

* * *

"One… two… three…" Casey counted out her steps, slowly breathing harder, beginning to sweat as she turned around and started to walk forward again. "One… two… three… f- four…"

Olivia wasn't here, like she usually was, and while she missed her, Casey was somewhat glad. It was slow, painful work, and while she appreciated Olivia's support, she didn't crave her girlfriend there to try and help her re-learn something as simple as walking.

She finally collapsed into a chair, panting for breath, her chest heaving. "Oh my god…" she gasped, collapsing into herself. Her legs were aching, her whole body was trembling, and suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to find Olivia and have her promise that everything was going to be okay. That she would be able to walk again and it wouldn't hurt and it would be easy.

But, she would rather live through this short pain until Olivia helped her. It would be simply embarrassing for Olivia to see her like she was now.

"Come on, Casey," she muttered under her breath. If she was going to be working with Alex soon, she had to get stronger. She still couldn't be around the woman Olivia had cheated with her on for more than a few minutes without snapping, and now that her leg was sore and she could hardly walk, her temper was even worse. The sooner she could walk, the sooner she could go back to work and actually function around Alex.

But despite Casey's urge to get up and start trying to walk again, she knew it was a bad idea. Her doctor had given her a strict limit on how much physical therapy she could do every day- and the last time she had pushed herself past the limit, her leg had hurt so much she could hardly stand the next day. Sighing in distaste, Casey grabbed her crutches and limped towards the door. Now that she was here, she could go visit Elliot.

She limped down the hall, headed towards his hospital room. She shivered slightly, pulling up the zipper on her jacket and rushing the sweat from her recent physical exertion off her forehead before letting out a jaw-cracking yawn. Maybe she should go home, and visit Elliot when she wasn't so tired.

Sighing, Casey was about to turn around and just head back to her apartment when several nurses brushed past her, clearly in a hurry- and headed straight for Elliot's room.

Without a second's thought, Casey was on her way to the room as fast as possible. In an instant, all the most terrifying scenarios possible were flashing through her mind- respiratory arrest, heart attack, seizure… _oh, god._

Casey burst into the room, a dark fear caught in her heart, to see the doctors gathered around Elliot, with Olivia and Kathy pushed off to the side. "What's going on?" she asked quietly, an low, urgent tone quickly surfacing in her voice. "Is he okay?"

Olivia glanced at her, Kathy still focused solely on Elliot, and murmured, "You'll see in a second."

One of the nurses backed away from Elliot's bed and nodded encouragingly at the three women. Kathy stepped forward first, then gasped in amazement and exclaimed, "Elliot!"

Olivia and Casey moved forward as well, eager and frantic. Casey looked over the formerly comatose detective… who was now awake.


End file.
